Barmak Nassirian

Director of Federal Relations and Policy Analysis

On Monday July 8th, 2013 Barmak Nassirian joined AASCU as its new Director of Federal Relations and Policy Analysis. In this role, Barmak will coordinate federal relations and legislative, regulatory, and public policy at the federal level.

Barmak is returning to AASCU after having served the association from 1990-1998 as the Director of Federal Policy Analysis. This was followed by nearly 15 years of executive management experience with the Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Barmak is a nationally known policy analyst and expert on federal student aid. He brings with him an extensive network of contacts on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill, with the Obama Administration and within key federal agencies, as well as with the media and the broader national higher education community.

In his prior service with AASCU, Barmak provided analytical support, designed federal cost estimation models, and participated in policy development and advocacy for the 1992 and 1998 Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorizations. He represented the association on four negotiated rulemaking committees charged with developing regulations to enact the 1992 Amendments and the Student Loan Reform Act of 1993. He has been successful in building coalitions with other stakeholders and serving as a voice on major higher education issues, illustrated, for example, by his testimony before House and Senate education committees.

Barmak is an avid supporter of the AASCU mission and will serve as a primary strategist in advancing the association’s policy agenda with Congress and Administration as it involves Higher Education Act reauthorization.